Palestinians Hail Reconciliation

Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas on Wednesday proclaimed a landmark pact aimed at ending the bitter four-year rift that has left them with competing governments in the Palestinian territories. Israel's leader denounced it as a 'mortal blow to peace.' (Related: Palestinians Pave Way for Pact; Minefield Lies Ahead)

May 4, 2011 3:01 p.m. ET

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News of the Fatah-Hamas alliance set off ecstatic celebrations in the Palestinian territories. In Gaza City, motorists honked their horns and waved yellow Fatah flags, which had been banned for the past four years. Here, Palestinian and Fatah flags flew behind a scooter in Gaza City Wednesday.
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Palestinians celebrated the reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas at a rally in central Gaza City on Wednesday.
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A Palestinian shopkeeper, right, and his friend listened to news on a radio in the West Bank town of Hebron Wednesday.
Abed Al Hashlamoun/European Pressphoto Agency…

Palestinians attended a rally celebrating the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza City Wednesday.
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Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, second from right, met Wednesday in Cairo with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian National Authority, second from left. The pact provides for the creation of a joint caretaker government ahead of national elections next year.
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But the pact leaves key issues unresolved, such as who will lead the government or control the competing Palestinian security forces. It also makes no mention of relations with Israel — the issue that led to the collapse of the previous unity government.
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Men at a barber shop in Gaza City watched the signing of the pact on TV. In a symbolic step, Hamas allowed Fatah-controlled Palestine TV to broadcast from Gaza for the first time since the 2007 takeover, while Hamas's al-Aqsa TV was permitted to broadcast from Ramallah Wednesday.
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Palestinians stood under a flag as they celebrated the reconciliation agreement in Gaza City Wednesday. The Palestinians have been torn between rival governments since a previous unity arrangement collapsed into civil war in June 2007.
Suhaib Salem/Reuters…